How to articulate your agency’s value

Isn’t it hard to differentiate your agency? I mean, what can you say that makes you stand out? What will get prospects to sign up with you? Your process? Your awards? Your people or your commitment to innovation?

I know what you’re thinking: “RESULTS! That’s it! If only people understood how great a job we do, they’ll sign up right away!” But while important, it’s also a cliché. Everybody claims they get results and the truth is, most of your competitors aren’t lying, they really do get great results for the right client.

So, you’ve tried all sorts of ways to brand your service and stand out, but you can only win on price…?

I’ve got your back. Here is a nice process you can use to articulate how you really stand out. What it does is create compelling messaging that is radically authentic, plays to your strengths and makes your offering desirable for the right client.

The magic word is Transformation.

Transformation is the ultimate result your client seeks to achieve with your solution. Transformation is the way life will be different for your client after having worked with you. At the end of the day, it’s the only thing that matters for your them – it’s the only aspect you will be judged by – regardless of whether the client is aware of this herself.

Measuring the only thing that really matters

How is transformation measured? Often times it’s not – it’s subjective, it’s an experience, a perception – and that’s OK. If you offer lead generation/campaign management or any service that can directly be tied to the bottom line… or a near-bottom-line indicator in your client’s business, then the result is hitting or missing that KPI. But now, you’re looking for the result of the result – the real impact of having hit the KPI.

How will business/life be different for your avatar if they bump e-commerce conversion rate by 10%? That is what you’re looking to articulate.

Getting clear on the total, transformative experience you provide to your clients is everything. If you’re thinking to yourself,

“I don’t provide anything transformative, I just help out with/get the job done in ____ [insert name of your service]”

…then I have good news: you’re about to uncover the real value you provide your clients with. This article will help you communicate it in a way that’ll have your clients experience it… and pay you according to the real value you create, rather than the input.

An example: when probed for how they provide transformation, almost any client who does web dev will tell me something like “we create beautiful websites that convert”. (Doesn’t sound bad, who wouldn’t want one of those, right?)

But, this is not transformation. There might be a place to communicate your services this way, but this is not transformation. Neither is “getting you ranked number one on Google.”

Here is the process for finding and articulating your “Transformative Superpower” 🙂

Three steps to uncovering your transformative power

Step 1: The Before-After Grid

The before-after grid is a great tool invented by DigitalMarketer to start mapping the transformation. The steps are actually defining the specific dimensions in which your clients experience your service.

These are angles that help you grasp the nature and building blocks of the transformation you create. There are five such dimensions or angles; actually, four plus one because the fifth one isn’t always used.

They are:

have,

the feel,

the average day,

the status;

the good versus evil state.

This last fifth one is not always used.

The table below illustrates the before-after grid for a hypothetical digital agency serving then you’re going to see that this will be a matrix. For instance, the have dimension, is about material or abstract things like. Here you’ll put things that they didn’t have before and they will have after or as a result of working with you. Which is, for example, a strategy or a marketing plan or leads or more sales.

It’s the most evident dimension of the transformation:

Campgrowth’s Before-After grid. For more of our messaging and tools on a Google Sheet, click here.

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